Micheál Martin

Sorry, we need-----

Some €25.8 billion has been allocated to health in 2025. That is six or seven times ahead of the figures from four or five years ago. The value-for-money thing needs to happen as well, and on another fine day the Deputy will be in here rightly raising those issues. He cannot have it both ways though. It is always a question-----

We will be allocating more to health. We do need to analyse it as well. Separate from the normal funding going into acute and tertiary services, we accept we need investment in the digital health area and we-----

No, it has not happened since the Deputy raised it last week. There has been a lot happening in the past week. The extension of voting rights for Irish citizens overseas is a complex and technical matter because that was the subject of the Bill originally.

It was both overseas and the North originally in 2020.

It is my understanding that it would require a referendum to change the Constitution, but we will come back to the Deputy.

First of all, the Government has taken very strong action in respect of this. That is the international perception of Ireland, by the way, except in this House. It is probably one of the few places that does not acknowledge the range of actions the Government has taken, from the recognition of the Palestinian state to the intervention in the South African case under the Genocide Convention, from t…

Israel is rising roughshod over the views of the world and, as I said last week - Deputy Bacik acknowledged that, in fairness - committing a war crime-----

-----in respect of the collective punishment of the Palestinian people-----

That is continuing in terms of the prevention of aid, support and the basic necessities of life into Gaza.

We have issued a statement jointly with a number of European Union states-----

I have had enough of your statements. You would not take on the people that you know.

You were silent with your American friends-----

-----on this question for a long, long time.

In fairness, you were. You did not take it up with them.

It is cynical beyond belief.

The Deputy said this was being asked for the third time today. I have not played politics with this issue, nor should he. He should not be saying things like "It is not credible". It is an external audit. It is independent of this House, independent of me and independent of the Minister, and that is the way it should be. Therefore, less of the high, self-righteous rhetoric about this. I understand…

-----which means there has to be feedback. That is what happens with audits if they implicate people.

They are sent out and they have to come back,-----

-----and so we need completion.

It is just unacceptable that-----

-----that kind of deliberate politicisation of an issue should reach the level that it has reached on this issue.

I find it reprehensible.

Again, I will say that Ireland has shown leadership on this; no big deal about it, but we have done what is the right thing to do. We work with like-minded states in the European Union. We consistently do that. We have issued a joint statement with Luxembourg, Iceland, Norway, Slovenia and Spain, countries we have worked with for quite some time on this issue. We have also worked with the Arab nat…

On a point of order, I find I am being constantly heckled on that side of the House when I am addressing other Members.